Ayanna El, LeBron Napier, Bryan Solano, and Melanie Valladares are the recipients of this year’s scholarships from Organizacion Latino-Americana of Eastern Long Island (OLA).
The awards are given to high school graduates who have been active with OLA and are pursuing “specialized vocational training” at two or four-year colleges. The scholarships cover up to four years at a maximum of $4,500 per year; students must maintain a grade-point average of 3.0 or higher.
“We are fortunate to have donors whose focus is education and who want to ensure that local youth who might otherwise fall through the cracks of the financial aid system have the opportunity to pursue their dreams through higher education,” Minerva Perez, OLA’s executive director, said in an announcement.
Ayanna, a Bridgehampton High School graduate, is attending the State University at Albany. Bryan and Melanie, who are East Hampton High School graduates, are enrolled at Binghamton University and SUNY Buffalo, respectively. LeBron graduated from Southampton High School and will attend SUNY Delhi.